Senior Dry Etch Engineer

SMART Photonics is seeking a Senior Dry Etch Engineer to own dry etch and plasma process development, qualification, and optimization for our photonics components. You will ensure production-ready processes that are stable, scalable, and capable, while driving yield, capacity, quality, and cost improvements.

The role requires hands-on leadership, strong data-driven problem solving, and collaboration across Process Engineering, Equipment, Operations, and R&D to bring new concepts to reliable production.

Your Role

As a Senior Dry Etch Engineer in the Plasma team, you will take ownership of the development, qualification, optimization, and continuous improvement of dry etch and plasma etching processes used to manufacture advanced photonics components.

Your role? Ensuring that our process steps are stable, capable, scalable, and ready for production, while continuously improving yield, capacity, quality, and cost.

You will work at the intersection of process engineering, equipment, operations, integration, quality, and R&D, translating technical challenges into manufacturing solutions. You will lead and execute projects ranging from process optimization and defect reduction to capacity expansion, tool qualification and release, and the introduction of new processes and equipment.

A key part of the role is supporting the technology roadmap for InP and other III-V semiconductor technologies, helping transform new process concepts into reliable production processes.

This includes understanding the interaction between dry etching and upstream/downstream steps, such as dielectric thin film deposition (PECVD) and protective layer coating. You will apply structured, data-driven engineering methodologies, using tools such as DOE, SPC, FMEA, statistical analysis, and root-cause analysis to understand and improve process performance.

This is a hands-on role in a dynamic semiconductor manufacturing environment. Problems are often complex, and not every solution is obvious. We are looking for someone who is proactive, pragmatic, and comfortable operating in ambiguity. You bring structure to challenging situations, take ownership of problems from identification through implementation, and keep projects moving while bringing stakeholders with you.

Qualifications & Requirements

• 7+ years of industrial experience in semiconductor processing, or a closely related manufacturing environment, with a strong background in dry etch and plasma etching.

• Proven experience with dry etching, preferably including III-V and/or InP processing.

• Experience in photonics or optoelectronics manufacturing is a strong advantage.

• Practical familiarity with dielectric thin film deposition techniques (such as PECVD) and surface coating interactions.

• MSc degree in relevant technical fields such as Materials Science, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline. Highly relevant PhD research may be considered.

• Strong understanding of semiconductor fabrication and plasma processing, with demonstrated experience improving process performance in a production environment.

• Hands-on experience with process characterization, optimization, SPC, DOE, FMEA, statistical analysis, and structured root-cause analysis.

• Experience with process qualification, tool qualification, equipment/process release, and introduction of new dry etching processes or equipment into manufacturing.

• Strong project management skills, with the ability to define problems, structure an approach, coordinate stakeholders, and drive projects through to implementation and measurable results.

• Able to work effectively across teams, such as Process Engineering, Equipment, Operations, and R&D, communicating technical topics clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Proactive, hands-on, and solution-oriented, with a strong bias toward action and practical problem solving.

What we offer

• An essential key position within our organisation

• To develop with us SMART Photonics into a market leader in an entrepreneurial, dynamic environment. 

• A challenging position with plenty of room for own initiatives and professional development and personal growth.

• A talented group of passionate people working in an open, informal culture in multidisciplinary teams.